Hi,
I have a question about confession and healing. I am catholic - I went through RCIA several years ago. I go to confession a couple times a year and always keep discussion on my sins. I have a lot of trauma in my life that I desperately want to heal from. Consequently I get headaches and break out in hives a lot just due to stress. Would it be acceptable to talk to the priest about it in confession?
Thanks.

It might be better if you call and make an appointment with him to talk. I have been told to limit Confession time for just confessions, however sometimes the priest occasionally starts a conversation. If you just want advice or to tell him your concerns, just call the parish office and they'll set something up for you.

I would suggest making an appointment to speak with your priest outside of confession. He can council you better when there aren't people waiting in line behind you (also, seeking council inside the confessional for things not related to that sacrament is discouraged).
Make an appointment to meet with your priest to discuss whatever is concerning you.

Also. How often do you attend mass?

I ask because immersing yourself in your Catholic faith, prayer, and life in the sacraments of the Church will bring great healing to your life. Receive our Lord in the Eucharist daily if possible, and always when in a state of grace of course.

I feel like a ship without a sail if I don't make it to daily mass. :)

[quote="cadgeon, post:1, topic:315552"]
Hi,
I have a question about confession and healing. I am catholic - I went through RCIA several years ago. I go to confession a couple times a year and always keep discussion on my sins. I have a lot of trauma in my life that I desperately want to heal from. Consequently I get headaches and break out in hives a lot just due to stress. Would it be acceptable to talk to the priest about it in confession?
Thanks.

[/quote]

I am sure you have a lot of stress and have issues due to reactions to past trauma. But I just wanted to check: are you sure it's not allergy? When we have reactions that tend to be based in mental or emotional health issues, sometimes we too easily ascribe things to that and don't look for the medical answer.

[quote="Nigel7, post:4, topic:315552"]
I would suggest making an appointment to speak with your priest outside of confession. He can council you better when there aren't people waiting in line behind you (also, seeking council inside the confessional for things not related to that sacrament is discouraged).
Make an appointment to meet with your priest to discuss whatever is concerning you.

Also. How often do you attend mass?

I ask because immersing yourself in your Catholic faith, prayer, and life in the sacraments of the Church will bring great healing to your life. Receive our Lord in the Eucharist daily if possible, and always when in a state of grace of course.

I feel like a ship without a sail if I don't make it to daily mass. :)

[quote="Julia_Mae, post:5, topic:315552"]
I am sure you have a lot of stress and have issues due to reactions to past trauma. But I just wanted to check: are you sure it's not allergy? When we have reactions that tend to be based in mental or emotional health issues, sometimes we too easily ascribe things to that and don't look for the medical answer.

[/quote]

I have heard of similar incidents with victims who suffer traumatic events.

That said, unless your priest is also a psychologist, at best he can offer you a listening ear. He can't, nor should he be, offering advice in a field of study he is not appropriately trained/educated to deal with. He should be encouraging/referring the OP to someone who has the expertise to deal with these matters.

Hi and thank you to all who responded.
To answer some questions, I do attend mass every Sunday and other holy days. I had skin problems years ago and had allergy tests. Then I went some years without any problem. Now I have problems again but have not had recent allergy tests. I've adjusted diet and laundry detergent but haven't traced it to anything in particular. I take antihistamines which helps but it reoccurs nearly every day or every other day. I'm convinced its stress. Just didn't know if it would be appropriate to talk to priest or not. I've decided though its best not to discuss in confession.